Michael Turner is the fourth of six brothers, so he knows something about waiting his turn.

LaDainian Tomlinson's understudy has worn his share of hand-me-downs, some of them so dated that they could have gone out of style and come back in without ever leaving the closet. He grew up with an earlier curfew than that observed by his older brothers, patiently resigned to his place in the family pecking order.

“It's kind of like the same thing here,” Turner said yesterday afternoon at the Chargers' complex. “You're (eager) to be a starter, but you know your time will come soon. You've just got to be patient.”

If Michael Turner's time is not yet at hand, the football world will soon be at his feet. Once his Chargers apprenticeship is complete – either Sunday afternoon in New England or Feb. 3 in Super Bowl XLII – Turner will become an unrestricted free agent and, presumably, a prized commodity.

It's a pity the Chargers won't be able to realize Turner's full potential, but having him now is a blessing and it could prove to be a bonanza. With Tomlinson trying to rehab a hyperextended knee on a tight deadline, Turner gives the Bolts a formidable fallback position for Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

The right knee of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is still a source of anxiety along Murphy Canyon. Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates remains gimpy with a dislocated big toe. Yet Turner's muscular moves between the tackles and the outside speed of spry Darren Sproles ensure a healthy running game even when Tomlinson is hurt.

Though LT has led the NFL in rushing in each of the past two seasons, and was the league's Most Valuable Player just last year, he could disappear from the depth chart with less dropoff than many other Chargers regulars. This is no knock on No. 21 – paeans to his greatness grow redundant – but incomparable is not the same thing as irreplaceable.

No other Bolt has a backup with more ability than Michael Turner. Among the NFL's top 50 running backs of 2006, only Atlanta's Jerious Norwood exceeded Turner's 6.3-yard average. If Turner's 228 career carries could be compressed into a single season instead of spread over four years, his 1,257 rushing yards would have ranked seventh in the league in 2007, while requiring fewer carries than any of the top six.

“I can't really say what's going to happen at the end of the season,” said Matt Simon, the Chargers' running backs coach. “What I can tell you is what (Turner) brings to the table for the Chargers.

“He's been a great complement to the guy we have in LaDainian Tomlinson. He's been a guy that can not just share the load, but he can take on the burden and carry that load. He's a physical, powerful runner who has a slashing style. He's a little bit unique in that regard. And he's a great change-up for us.”

Sharing time with Tomlinson has mostly meant inactivity for Turner. He has been used primarily as counterpoint, a bruise-inflicting back typically deployed to wear down the defense while LT catches his breath.

“I love how LT passes the baton to Michael very willingly,” Simon said. “It's not a grudging thing. It's not a worrisome thing. It's: 'You know what? This guy can help us win, too.' Everybody's on the same spiritual ride.”

While Tomlinson confounds tacklers with his cutbacks and his quickness, Turner punishes people. One guy is a butterfly, the other a battering ram. One guy leaves you grasping at air, the other gasping for air.

“It's been great to have him on the team,” Tomlinson said yesterday, “because I've always felt like I can take a rest at times throughout the game and kind of stay fresh because I've got a guy like Michael Turner who can come in there and pound away and keep the chains moving.”

When Tomlinson left Sunday's playoff game in Indianapolis with a second-quarter injury, he had gained only 28 yards on seven carries. Turner kept the chains moving with a game-high 71 rushing yards – and picked up first downs on two Chargers touchdown drives – while Sproles made his petite presence felt with a 56-yard score on a screen pass.

“Obviously, we know how different they are,” Rivers said of Tomlinson and Turner. “Michael's a little more of a downhill runner that's looking for some contact.

“Both LT and Sproles are a little more versatile out of the backfield as far as catching and doing some things, (but) Michael certainly can do that. . . . There aren't plays during the week that you go, 'Hey, this is for Michael Turner and this is for LT.' ”

It still seems strange that Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith would pay Turner $2.35 million, knowing he would lose him at season's end, and not find a way to milk more mileage from him. It still seems as if head coach Norv Turner missed an opportunity by failing to use Tomlinson and Turner more in tandem.

One way to solve some of those sticky eight-in-the-box alignments might have been to use Tomlinson as a slot receiver, place Turner in the backfield as a single setback, and force defenses to choose between a softer line of scrimmage or the downfield havoc of LT isolated against a linebacker.

Just a thought.

Michael Turner's thinking is mostly in the moment. He's not plagued by regrets or consumed with his career path. He's trying to “turn it up a notch,” this week in case Tomlinson can't play, putting in more preparation, cutting back on the burgers.

“I've got to prepare like he's not going to play, like I've got to be the man,” Turner said. “It's a little different (this week) because it's a little bit more reality. He's banged up a little bit.”